The True Mother Goose. Color Heliotype Advertising Poster

Blanche McManus

Heliotype Printing Co.; Lamson Wolffe & Co., 1895

Color lithograph.  Matted in glass-fronted frame.  Dimensions in frame, 59.5 x 43 cm.  Dimensions outside of frame, 52 x 36 cm (20 3/4 x 14 1/2 inches).  Scattered spotting.  Modest wear.

"Born in Louisiana, McManus studied in Paris before returning to America, where her brief poster career flourished. She is attributed with having designed 8 posters, and is considered one of the best female designers of the era (along with Florence Lundborg, Ethel Reed and Alice Glenny). Shortly after the turn-of-the-century, she returned to Paris and worked as a book illustrator. She wrote and illustrated at least one book of her own, The True Mother Goose (and created a poster for it), as well as authoring The American Woman Abroad and Our French Cousins. "Her posters are boldly conceived, with a sure sense of the well-drawn line and a controlled use of contrasting color to create a positive and negative image" (Kiehl p. 189). Kiehl 127, Reims 1244, Margolin p. 141, Keay p. 74, American Posters no. 52, DFP-I 301, Virginia p. 8, Crystal Palace 685." - Swann Galleries, See also, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Drawings and Prints: Selections from the Permanent Collection," October 8, 2014–December 8, 2014.